Interesting little article that makes you think for a minute. Mike Wallace has sky rocketed to stardom as one of the best WR's in the NFL today...but is he the best?

Who is the best wide receiver in the NFL right now: the Detroit Lions (http://espn.go.com/nfl/team/_/name/det/detroit-lions)' Calvin Johnson (http://espn.go.com/nfl/player/_/id/10447/calvin-johnson) or the Pittsburgh Steelers (http://espn.go.com/nfl/team/_/name/pit/pittsburgh-steelers)' Mike Wallace (http://espn.go.com/nfl/player/_/id/12601/mike-wallace)?

Johnson can out-jump nearly every defender and pull down the pass with his strong hands. Wallace can outrun nearly every defender and turn short slants into big gains.

While many would call Johnson the best because of his torrid touchdown pace, ESPN Insider KC Joyner (http://insider.espn.go.com/nfl/story/_/id/7122234/nfl-why-mike-wallace-bigger-gamebreaker-calvin-johnson) http://assets.espn.go.com/icons/in.gif sides with Wallace, calling him "the heavyweight champion of NFL receivers."

Here's an excerpt from the piece:

It's one thing to simply subscribe to the numbers and players must also pass the eye test, but these totals show Wallace as superior thus far in short, medium, bomb, vertical, stretch vertical, yards after catch and overall YPA categories. If he's not dominant in one, he's consistently better in all.

Not only that, Wallace has 82 more total yards than Johnson despite having 12 fewer targets.

steelersbabex25

10-22-2011, 02:07 AM

Not yet. He'll probably catch up in time.

NOVA STEELERS

10-22-2011, 02:44 AM

IMO Megatron is the overall more polished receiver this present time, but give Wallace another year and he could become the standard of a receiver every team will :drool: over

DIESELMAN

10-22-2011, 02:45 AM

If Wallace shows up every game and makes a difference like Johnson does then yes he can be better. Now? No, getting close but not yet.

Sent from my iPhone 3GS using Tapatalk

connecticutsteel

10-22-2011, 03:18 AM

It's really hard to compare they both do different things well . Like the writer said one out jumps and the other outruns. if you go by numbers it's Wallace . But the biggest difference to me is Calvin Johnson can make a less accurate passer better cause of his size. But in the case of Wallace you better be accurate cause of his speed . Lastly Wallace has great hops himself
calvin Johnson rookie year 48/756/15.8
2nd year 78/1331/17.1
mike Wallace rookie year 39/756/17.1
2nd year 60/1257/21.0
Wallace wins the numbers game!

Diehardsteel

10-22-2011, 03:34 AM

I read the article a day or two ago and got a little laugh out of it. They're two totally different types of WR's. I think Wallace is getting compared to the all mighty Calvin because there isn't many WR's like Mr Wallace. Desean Jackson is the only one to come to mind. Calvin's in a class with a couple of really good WR's like Andre Johnson, Roddy White, and Larry Fitzgerald. Wallace could become a WR in Megatrons class but not just yet. He's still got plenty of developing to do.

nuclearchihuahuas

10-22-2011, 10:18 AM

No...Calvin Johnson is a beast...Mike is really fast but he needs to get stronger to reach beast status

pimplydan

10-22-2011, 10:27 AM

Hard to compare the two because they are so different . They really don't compare ,nor does it matter to me to compare them .

I think that Wallace is suited to be a steeler and Johnson is suited to be a Lion .

Wallace fits so well in our crop of receivers I wouldn't change him for Johnson even if I feal Johnson is a bit of a better commodity .

And visversa

Stairwayto7

10-22-2011, 10:49 AM

Its easoer to throw the ball up and have CJ come down with it! %%% are in his favor.

Steelers_All_Day_43

10-22-2011, 11:59 AM

Are we seriously asking this? Megatron is a FREAK

Big T

10-22-2011, 12:18 PM

Calvin Johnson and it really isn't even close at this point. Calvin Johnson is the best WR in the NFL right now. Andre Johnson and Larry Fitzgerald are right there with him, but Megatron has taken that step this season. Wes Welker is playing like a man possessed this season, but I honestly think he's a product of that system. I'd say as of right now, Mike Wallace is a top 5-7 receiver.

Steelers_All_Day_43

10-22-2011, 01:57 PM

Calvin Johnson and it really isn't even close at this point. Calvin Johnson is the best WR in the NFL right now. Andre Johnson and Larry Fitzgerald are right there with him, but Megatron has taken that step this season. Wes Welker is playing like a man possessed this season, but I honestly think he's a product of that system. I'd say as of right now, Mike Wallace is a top 5-7 receiver.

Agreed

Rampage

10-22-2011, 02:12 PM

Johnson is much more physical than Wallace; so many times where the ball gets thrown into double coverage on him and he has to fight for possession. He's also a bit more versatile at this point. Wallace is catching on, so hopefully he'll continue to improve on route running and physicality.

Blazedby92

10-22-2011, 02:15 PM

HELL NO!!! Not even close

coldrolled

10-22-2011, 02:58 PM

Calvin Johnson and it really isn't even close at this point. Calvin Johnson is the best WR in the NFL right now. Andre Johnson and Larry Fitzgerald are right there with him, but Megatron has taken that step this season. Wes Welker is playing like a man possessed this season, but I honestly think he's a product of that system. I'd say as of right now, Mike Wallace is a top 5-7 receiver.

Welker and Brady are the system... Take Welker out and you can get to brady.

welker is his main target or his first quick check down 90% of the time.

slam that little man right off the line.

Rampage

10-22-2011, 03:02 PM

Welker and Brady are the system... Take Welker out and you can get to brady.

welker is his main target or his first quick check down 90% of the time.

slam that little man right off the line.

When the Steelers play them, they may as well have Clark tee off on him with a cheap shot to knock him out of the game. Just about the only chance they have of stopping that offense. :lol:

steelchamp204

10-22-2011, 03:20 PM

There so different.

Wallace can get you mostly with his speed and quickness. Throw him a jump ball in the endzone wouldnt be the greatest idea. But wallace is a great WR though.

Johnson is a guy with physical presence and a terrific catcher wherever you put the ball at he is more than likely to snatch it. He has speed also but not like Mike.

Imho, a more comparing thread or article would have been D Jackson and Wallace.

Calvin Johnson is in a league of his own though. Could you imagine if he wuld have had a good QB to start his career of with 0)

Black@Gold Forever32

10-22-2011, 04:31 PM

I love me some Mike Wallace and I think Wallace belongs in the conversation when we're talking top five best WR's in the NFL but he isn't better then Calvin Johnson......I think Megatron is the best WR in the NFL period....Nobody dictates coverage in the NFL like Megatron........

Highest I might put Wallace would be 7 and not even sure about that high.
He isn't complete yet not even close.

roosterray

10-22-2011, 11:17 PM

It's really hard to compare they both do different things well . Like the writer said one out jumps and the other outruns. if you go by numbers it's Wallace . But the biggest difference to me is Calvin Johnson can make a less accurate passer better cause of his size. But in the case of Wallace you better be accurate cause of his speed . Lastly Wallace has great hops himself
calvin Johnson rookie year 48/756/15.8
2nd year 78/1331/17.1
mike Wallace rookie year 39/756/17.1
2nd year 60/1257/21.0
Wallace wins the numbers game!

Numbers may be close but can you seriously name the QB who was throwing CJ the ball that year? Wallace's numbers are close only because we are by far a better team and Big Ben Makes it a no brainer.

connecticutsteel

10-23-2011, 12:13 AM

Calvin Johnson and it really isn't even close at this point. Calvin Johnson is the best WR in the NFL right now. Andre Johnson and Larry Fitzgerald are right there with him, but Megatron has taken that step this season. Wes Welker is playing like a man possessed this season, but I honestly think he's a product of that system. I'd say as of right now, Mike Wallace is a top 5-7 receiver.
TOP THREE wELKER ,MEGA and Wallace then fitz

Highest I might put Wallace would be 7 and not even sure about that high.
He isn't complete yet not even close.

I more or less agree with this list. I would have Andre Johnson as number 1 had he not been injured for most of this season (I mean, what he did in the first couple of games was unreal). I would have Calvin at number 2 and then I don't agree with having Rice that high but other than that I more or less concur. One could also argue that V. Jackson and Wallace should be like 7a and 7b as they are more or less the same type of player with the same kind of production.

SteelCurtain17

10-23-2011, 09:49 AM

I think right now Calvin has the edge, but Wallace is making his way to being better than him one day.

JensK

10-23-2011, 10:09 AM

I think right now Calvin has the edge, but Wallace is making his way to being better than him one day.

The thing to me is that Calvin is a freak of nature. If there ever was an ideal man in terms anatomy, it is guys like Calvin and Andre. Wallace is too small to go up against a 3 man coverage and come down with the ball; He is simply not strong enough. Wallace will dominate a game in a different way than how the Johnson's will but he'll never be as complete a WR as them.

K Train

10-23-2011, 10:34 AM

calvin is better by a wide margin....calvin is the best in the league right now, wallace is probably 6-7th best

andyg1984

10-23-2011, 11:23 AM

is wallace better than bowe? i can't tell, but bowe is taking big steps these days too ..